Harvard Men’s Hockey Alumni Kick Off Pro Season

Oct 20, 2010

Pictured: Moore scored two goals, including the game-winner,
in his Tampa debut and ranks second on the team in goals (photo
courtesy Scott Audette/Getty Images).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The Harvard men’s
hockey season opener is still more than two weeks away, but many
former Crimson skaters—led by a pair of National Hockey
League players—have already begun the season with their
respective professional clubs.

Dominic Moore ’03 is off to a flying start with his new
team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The former Crimson All-American has
scored four goals and added an assist in just five games. He has
been the subject of feature articles on the Lightning website and in The Tampa Tribune. Moore is in his
seventh season in the NHL.

Meanwhile, two-time Stanley Cup champion Craig Adams ’99
has begun his 10th NHL season and his third as a member of the
Pittsburgh Penguins. He has skated in five games and logged an
assist to go with his contributions as a standout defensive forward
and penalty killer.

Several other former Harvard players are under NHL contracts and
have begun the season in the American Hockey League. Alex Biega
’10 signed a contract with the Buffalo Sabres following his
year as Harvard captain last season. He skated in the Sabres’
training camp and then logged a pair of assists in his pro debut
with the Portland Pirates. He has played in all six Portland games
and owns a +2 rating.

A pair of other former Crimson captains skated in their NHL
teams’ training camps before kicking off the regular season
in the AHL. Dylan Reese ’07 has been a staple on the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers blue line in the first five games, while
Noah Welch ’05 has skated on defense in all four games for
the Chicago Wolves. Reese made his NHL debut last season with the
New York Islanders. Welch, who has previously played for the
Penguins, Lightning and Florida Panthers, is under contract with
the Atlanta Thrashers. Former Crimson forward Louis Leblanc
’13 saw preseason NHL action with the Montreal Canadiens.

Goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris ’05 is also in the AHL,
having returned from Europe and recently been called up by the
Hartford Wolf Pack. Just up Interstate 91 from Grumet-Morris,
classmate Tom Cavanagh ’05 has played five games for the
Springfield Falcons.

Other Crimson pros in action so far include Doug Rogers
’10, who made his pro debut with the Wheeling Nailers of the
East Coast Hockey League, and his former Harvard teammate Jon Pelle
’08. Pelle, who won a Central Hockey League title with the
Rapid City Rush last season, has scored a British Elite League-high
13 goals. The Cardiff Devils forward is tied for second in the
league with 23 points. Elsewhere in Europe, 11-year NHL veteran
Craig MacDonald ’99 has seven points in 14 games for the
Germany’s Mannheim Eagles.